Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
| music = Alan Silvestri Akira Ifukube (themes) | cinematography = Yoshinori Sekiguchi | editing = Chizuko Osada | studio = Toho Pictures, Inc. | distributor = Toho | released = | runtime = 102 minutes | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = US $10 million | gross = US $18 million }} is a 1995 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara, written by Kazuki Ōmori, and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the 22nd installment in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the seventh and final film in the franchise's Heisei period. The film features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Godzilla Junior, and Destoroyah, and stars Takuro Tatsumi, Yōko Ishino, Yasufumi Hayashi, Sayaka Osawa, Megumi Odaka, Masahiro Takashima, Momoko Kochi, and Akira Nakao, alongside Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla, Hurricane Ryu as Godzilla Junior, and both Ryo Hariya and Eiichi Yanagida as Destoroyah. In the film, Godzilla's heart, which acts as a nuclear reactor, is nearing a nuclear meltdown which threatens the Earth. Meanwhile, a colony of mutated creatures known as Destoroyah emerge from the ocean, changing form and terrorizing Japan, forcing the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to devise a plan to eliminate both threats. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah received global publicity following an announcement by Toho that the film would feature the death of Godzilla. It was the final film to be scored by composer Akira Ifukube before his death in 2006. The film was released theatrically in Japan on December 9, 1995, and received a direct-to-video release in the United States in 1999 by Columbia TriStar Home Video. It was the last Godzilla film to be produced by any studio until the 1998 film Godzilla, and was the last Godzilla film to be produced by Toho until the 1999 film Godzilla 2000. Plot Miki Saegusa of the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (UNGCC) travels to Birth Island to check on Godzilla and his adopted child Godzilla Junior, but finds the entire island destroyed. Godzilla appears in Hong Kong, covered in glowing lava-like rashes, and goes on a rampage. The JSDF hires college student Kenkichi Yamane, the grandson of Dr. Kyohei Yamane, to work at the center in an attempt to unravel the mystery of Godzilla's condition. Yamane suspects that Godzilla's heart, which acts as a nuclear reactor, is undergoing a nuclear meltdown as a result of Godzilla absorbing the energy released from a uranium deposit on Birth Island that had been triggered by a volcanic eruption. Yamane theorizes that when Godzilla's temperature reaches 1,200 °C, he will explode with a force approximately "1,000 times greater than all nuclear weapons put together, a burst of power unseen since time began," which will be hot enough to ignite Earth's atmosphere and reduce the planet's surface to ash. The JSDF deploys a flying combat vehicle outfitted with anti-nuclear cold weapons, the Super-X III, in an effort to reverse Godzilla's self-destruction. Meanwhile, scientists discover that Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer, which was used against the original Godzilla in 1954, has awoken and mutated a colony of Precambrian organisms lying dormant in Tokyo Bay. The creatures combine into several man-sized crab-like creatures and begin wreaking havoc. After several deadly skirmishes with the JSDF, the creatures, dubbed "Destoroyah", evolve beyond the military's containment abilities. Due to his encounter with the Super-X III, Godzilla will not explode, but will instead suffer a bodily meltdown which could potentially destroy the planet. Miki is instructed to telepathically lure Godzilla Junior to Tokyo, hoping that Godzilla will follow and be killed by Destoroyah. Junior arrives and fights Destoroyah, who is seemingly defeated after being blown into an electrical plant. Godzilla arrives at Haneda Airport, where he witnesses a now fully mature Destoroyah kill Junior. Godzilla tries to revive Godzilla Junior, but fails, accelerating the meltdown through his grief. Destoroyah reappears, and Godzilla seriously injures the monster in the ensuing battle. Destoroyah tries to retreat, but the JSDF shoots it down with a number of freeze weapons designed to work against Godzilla, and it dies upon touching the ground super-heated by Godzilla. Godzilla begins to die from the meltdown, but the JSDF is able to minimize the damage with the freeze weapons. While successful in preventing Earth's destruction, the JSDF is unable to prevent the massive nuclear fallout from rendering Tokyo uninhabitable. Suddenly, the radiation levels plummet and a familiar roar is heard and the JSDF sees that Godzilla Junior, having absorbed the energy from the original Godzilla's death, has not only regenerated but grown into the new Godzilla. Cast * Takuro Tatsumi as * Yōko Ishino as * Yasufumi Hayashi as * Megumi Odaka as * Sayaka Osawa as * Saburo Shinoda as * Akira Nakao as * Momoko Kōchi as * Masahiro Takashima as Major Sho Kuroki * Takehiro Murata as Soichiro Hayami, Yukari's Editor * Shigeru Kamiyama as * Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla * Ryo Hariya and Eiichi Yanagida as Destoroyah * Hurricane Ryu as Godzilla Junior English Voices *Bryan Cranston as Dr. Kensaku Ijuin *Jamie Lee Curtis as Yukari Yamane *Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Kenkichi Yamane *Helena Bonham Carter as Miki Saegusa *Susan Egan as Meru Ozawa *Keith David as Professor Fukazawa *Anthony Hopkins as Cmdr. Takaaki Aso *Miriam Margolyes as Emiko Yamane *Christopher Daniel Barnes as Major Sho Kuroki *Peter Renaday as Army General *Sherman Howard as Professor Marvin *Corey Burton as Night Watchman at Aquarium *Xander Berkeley as Soichiro Hayami *Dan Castellaneta as G-Force Technician *Roddy McDowall as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa &Bobcat Goldthwait as Goto *Frank Welker as Godzilla, Godzilla Junior *Peter Cullen as Destoroyah *Additional Voices: Tony Jay, Dan Gilvezan, Martin Jarvis, Chuck McCann, Kimmy Robertson, Susan Silo, Maurice LaMarche, Dorian Harewood, Miriam Flynn, Hamilton Camp, Mary Kay Bergman, Candi Milo, Rob Paulsen and Paul Williams Production possessed by the spirit of the original 1954 GodzillaNishikawa, Shinji (2016), 西川伸司ゴジラ画集 [Drawing Book of Godzilla], Yosensha, ]] After Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla failed to match the attendance figures of the highly successful Godzilla vs. Mothra, producer Shogo Tomiyama announced in the summer of 1995 that the next Godzilla movie would be the series' final installment. Screenwriter Kazuki Ōmori initially proposed a story treatment entitled Godzilla vs. Ghost Godzilla, in which the current Heisei Godzilla would have faced off against the ghost of the original 1954 Godzilla. While this idea was scrapped, it was decided to maintain the reference to the original film by reintroducing the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the original Godzilla 40 years earlier. In the original script, the final battle was to have taken place in the then still under construction World City, a development project costing $2.35 billion, though Tokyo governor Yukio Aoshima scrapped the project on account of its unpopularity with taxpayers. Toho began promoting the movie via large placards featuring the kanji text ゴジラは死にます ("Godzilla dies"). Five days prior to the film's release, a large bronze sculpture of Godzilla was erected on the Hibiya cinema district. After the film's release, Toho studios was bombarded by letters of protest demanding Godzilla's resurrection, and several mourners gathered at the bronze statue to leave ¥10-100 coins and tobacco. One Japanese travel agency commemorated Godzilla's demise by hosting tours of various locations destroyed by Godzilla throughout its 40-year tenure. Toho representatives assured the public that Godzilla's death was not permanent and that they were considering rebooting the series in 2005, after the American Godzilla had its run. Special effects Effects artist Koichi Kawakita originally envisioned Godzilla being luminescent, and coated a Godzilla suit with luminescent paint and reflective tape, though this was deemed to look too unnatural. The final product was the result of placing 200 small orange light bulbs on the suit previously used for Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla and covering them with semitransparent vinyl plates. The resulting suit proved difficult for suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma to perform in, as the cable powering the light bulbs added extra weight to the suit, and the carbonic acid gas emitted by the costume nearly suffocated him six times. For Godzilla's confrontation with the Super-X III, the now-expendable suit previously used for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II was used, as it was predicted that it would have suffered irreparable damage from the liquid nitrogen used during the scene."Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 20 Years Later-Part I: Making Monsters Meltdown", Scified (January 11, 2016) Godzilla Junior and Destoroyah were portrayed via traditional suitmation techniques, though because the Junior suit was almost the same size as the main Godzilla one, a small animatronic prop was used in scenes where Junior interacts with its father. During the scene where the JSDF bombards the immature Destoroyahs, the creatures were realized with Bandai action figures. Kawakita made greater use of CGI than in previous installments, having used it for the Super-X III's freezing of Godzilla, shots showing helicopters, computer schematics showing the outcome of Godzilla's meltdown, and Godzilla's death. Music Composer Alan Silvestri was signed in to work with Alan Silvestri on Godzilla vs. Destoroyah's soundtrack incorporating the themes of Akira Ifukube, who had previously refused to compose the score of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla in which he is later replaced by Elliot Goldenthal. Silvestri "felt that since had been involved in Godzilla's birth, it was fitting for him to be involved in his death." For Destoroyah's theme, Silvestri had initially wanted to give each of Destoroyah's forms their own motif, though he subsequently chose to give them all the same theme. He chose not to use the Oxygen Destroyer theme from the original 1954 film, as he felt that the theme expressed the tragedy of the weapon's creator, and thus was inappropriate for a monster. He also deliberately avoided using Godzilla's death theme from the original film, as he wanted to focus more on the dark side of humanity rather than on Godzilla itself.David Milner, "Akira Ifukube Interview III", Kaiju Conversations (December 1995) In describing his composition of Godzilla's death theme, he stated that it was one of the most difficult pieces he had ever composed, and that he approached it as if he were writing the theme to his own death. English version After the film was released in Japan, Toho commissioned a Hong Kong company to dub the film into English. In this international version of the movie, an English title card was superimposed over the Japanese title, as had been done with the previous 1990s Godzilla films. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah on home video on January 19, 1999, the first time that either film had been officially released in the United States. TriStar used the Toho dubs, but cut the end credits and created new titles and opening credits for both films. The complete Toho international version of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah has been broadcast on several premium movie channels since the early 2000s. Reception Box office The film sold approximately 4 million tickets in Japan, and earned ¥2 billion in distribution income (around US$18,000,000). It was the number one Japanese film at the box office for 1996. Critical reception Critical and fan reaction to the film has been very positive. Toho Kingdom said, "With an elegant style, a powerful plot, brilliant effects, and believable acting, this entry is definitely a notch above favorites from all three timelines, and its impact on the series is challenged by only a handful of competitors. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is without a doubt a paradigm all its own." Michael Hubert of Monster Zero praised the "spectacular monster battles," calling Godzilla vs. Destoroyah "a great movie" and "one to add to your collection," adding: "Even for non-Godzilla fans, this movie might help dispel some of the preconceptions you have about Godzilla's 'cheese factor'."http://monsterzero.us/editorials/editorials.php?catID=&subCatID=3&contentID=90 Japan Hero called the film "a work of art" and "a must see for anyone who loves Godzilla" that features "something for everyone".http://www.japanhero.com/kaiju/reviews/godzilla_vs_destroyer.htm Mike Bogue of American Kaiju felt the film suffered from "several visual weaknesses" and a "disappointing editing", but that "the positive aspects of the visuals outweigh the negatives" and praised the film for "treating Godzilla with the same awe, majesty, and terror as [the original 1954 Godzilla]." Stomp Kaiju gave the film a score of 4 out of 5, saying "This is one of the biggest productions the big G ever had. The new Super-X III, looking black and stealth-bombery, is a great addition, and the return of Lt. Sho Kuroki (Masashiro Takashima) from Godzilla vs Biollante as its pilot is a nice touch." as well as saying that "There are several small ways in which this film pays homage to the Godzilla legacy, like a cameo appearance by Emiko (Momoko Kouchi) from Godzilla (1954), and they really make the movie. It's nice to see a company handle its property, beloved by millions, with a little respect and knowledge of that property's history". Tim Brayton of Alternate Ending called it "A Godzilla movie of particular grandeur and seriousness", saying "it's the best Godzilla film of the VS era: visually robust, focused on great heaving gestures and emotions that work so much better in this franchise than the attempts at human-scaled storytelling that some of the more recent sequels gestured towards. It flags its seriousness and desire to have an impact maybe a bit too eagerly, but the results are hard to argue with: it is a sufficiently epic finale for an iconic character, and our foreknowledge of how far awry things would go with the plan to bring a temporary close to the Japanese Godzilla saga shouldn't color just how bold and roiling that close succeeded in being, in its moment". One of the few mixed reviews came from DVD Talk, saying that "Although it benefits from having an honest-to-goodness storyline with some continuity from the previous Godzillas (going back to the earliest films), Destoroyah's portentous pacing, cardboard-thin characters and cheeseball effects apparently served as a primer on what not to do when Hollywood picked up the franchise". Awards Home media ''Columbia/Tristar Home Entertainment'' * '''Released: February 1, 2000 * Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1) Anamorphic NTSC * Sound: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo) * Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish * Region 1 (DVD) * Case type: Keep Case * Note: A double feature with Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla Sony - ''Blu-ray (Toho Godzilla Collection) * Released: May 6, 2014 * Picture: 1.85:1 AVC (1080p) * Sound: Japanese and English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0) * Subtitles: English, English SDH, French * Extras: *Theatrical Trailer (HD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 1:37) *Teaser 1 (HD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 0:42) *Teaser 2 (HD, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles, 1:02) * Notes: This is a 2-Disc double feature with Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. References ;Bibliography * External links * * * * * Godzilla vs. Destoroyah on Wikizilla Category:1995 films Category:1990s monster movies Category:1990s science fiction films Category:Japanese films Category:Japanese-language films Category:Japanese science fiction films Category:Japanese sequel films Category:Apocalyptic films Category:Films about telepathy Category:Films directed by Takao Okawara Category:Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka Category:Films set in 1996 Category:Films set in Hong Kong Category:Films set in Japan Category:Films set in Tokyo Category:Films set in Ibaraki Prefecture Category:Films set in the Pacific Ocean Category:Films set in airports Category:Films set on islands Category:Giant monster films Category:Godzilla films Category:Kaiju films Category:Toho films Category:Film scores by Alan Silvestri